


It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

by Measured



Category: How I Met Your Mother
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-25 20:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21901711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured/pseuds/Measured
Summary: Ted starts getting ready for Christmas at the beginning of the year.
Relationships: Tracy McConnell/Ted Mosby
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Missy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missy/gifts).



> Same, Ted. Same.
> 
> This follows the official alt ending ala NO BAD ENDS HERE. Tracy is alive and well, while Barney and Robin got back together and remarried in Vegas on hang gliders. This was inspired by that one Thomas Sanders vine about being a parent at Christmas. Also I should note that Penny and Luke are still pretty young here, and not teenagers yet. Also I ignore certain other aspects of the finale because, yeah.
> 
> So, anyways, this was supposed to be for Missy in fandom_stocking but fandom_stocking may not run this year. So, I'm just posting this and keeping the fanmix I'd also done for later in case it does run around New Years like the mod said and posting this now because it's so Christmas related. (And please let this not be taken as a criticism of Medie, I only wish the best for her and her family. Just putting that out there because some people in fandom anon spaces have been hard on her and I don't want to be associated with that.)
> 
> Anyways, canon is fake and this is the real finale.

1.  
Ted came into the bar in full Christmas regalia. A white beard, a red suit, and a big black belt. He'd had to leave the sack full of gifts back in the attic where he'd been starting his Christmas plans: in New York, a big brown sack either meant you were homeless, a drug dealer, or part of a flash mob. 

He took a moment to bask in the moment of all of them together again in MacLarens again, as if they were thirty again and Marshall and Lily had just gotten engaged, and Robin had just come into their lives again. There were less beers, because they couldn't quite drink like that anymore, at least not without consequences. But, it was like old times.

They'd even managed to get the old booth.

So much was familiar and so much was new. The clink of glasses, Carl's son now behind the bar with his father, and new and old faces all around. The old jukebox played a bunch of Cheap Trick songs, as semi-drunken people some strangers and some friends mingled about the bar.

Marshall's hair was thinning, graying early, but Lily still looked at him like he was the most handsome man alive. (Marshall at times joked he looked like a cryptid Scrooge, and that one day he'd pull off Santa flawlessly.) Lily dyed away any gray that showed up. She'd taken one look at Father Time and given that bastard the _you're dead to me, you sonnavabitch_ look. Some say he never recovered.

Or maybe it was Oil of Olay.

Barney looked so youthful like he'd won a bet with death, and Robin had aged gracefully, without any effort, that left many people jealous.

Ted, however, had dived into middle age, and dad jokes and settling down with such eagerness that his friends still teased him about it. He'd been old since his twenties, an old soul, maybe. He rather liked the graying that came in, at his temples. Perfectly fitting for a professor. It made him look distinguished. 

(Tracy thought it was sexy, too.)

Even though they'd gone their separate ways, they always managed to return to this one place that had been the setting of so many stories.

"I guess you could say I _Santa Suited up,_ huh?" Ted said.

Ted held up his gloved hand. 

"Bad dad joke high five," Barney said.

Bros always gave each other high fives. 

"Ted, it's January. Christmas is over and won't be back for _months_ ," Robin said.

Lily nodded. "It isn't even 'the New Years' was yesterday level January. We're almost to February."

Ted held up one gloved finger. "You can never be too prepared."

"Ted, don't you think you're going overboard?" Marshall said. "I mean, _January_? That's Facebook mom levels."

"You say that like Ted didn't ascend to the level of Facebook mom years ago," Robin said.

Ted held up one gloved finger. " _Au contraire,_ you're the one who's wrong, Marshall. There's no overboard when it comes to _Christmas_. Christmas never ends because every moment when it is not Christmas, it's prepping for Christmas. This is the Rule of Christmas. There are only two times of year: Christmas or Not Christmas."

If Barney had been telling the story, he would've embellished it with some wildly inaccurate tale to back it up. And they'd all be just buzzed-almost drunk enough to laugh about it as opposed to taking out an encylop _ae_ dia and proving him wrong.

Lily gave Marshall an intense look, and started a telepathic conversation.

_Christmas is war, Marshall. We're not letting Ted win._

_All right, baby. We'll get our Christmas list started tonight._

Lily nodded.

(Underneath the bar, Marshall took a few notes in his phone. 

_Bigfoot decoration with Santa hat?  
Loch Ness Monster Elves?  
Cryptid Christmas?  
Convince Lily they will be awesome._)

Barney lifted up his bottle of beer and took a sip. "So, Robin, what do you do in Canada? Get drunk and ride moose around?" Barney said. 

"For your information, the Riding of the Moose is a time honored tradition," Robin said.

"I can't even tell when she's messing with us anymore," Barney said. "I mean their money--it's called a _loonie_ and smells like maple syrup. How is Canada even a real country?"

Robin smiled enigmatically. "I don't know, I guess while you were enjoying your 'freedom' we were basking in our working health care system, _eh?_ "

Robin leaned in close, and sensually said _technically by marrying me, you got Canadian citizenship....eh~?"_

"But, freedom," Barney protested. But it was weak, like he was being seduced slowly. By Robin's sultry gaze, and promises of universal health care.

"Can your 'freedom' do this?" Robin leaned in and whispered something in his ears. His eyes widened.

"I suddenly remembered something I have to do," Barney said stiffly. He reached her her hand, almost desperately. Her dress was sparkly, and he remembered a girl he'd seen across the bar that he'd thought would be the love of his life, but turned out to be Barney's. And he smiled, because fate was so funny sometimes. Every love had taught him lessons and made him into the man who could be worthy of Tracy, his wife and the love of his life.

"A simply Chimchungas would've sufficed," Lily muttered.

Marshall nodded as Barney and Robin left, hand in hand. 

And it was that: so many in-jokes and laughs shared, so many memorable times.

Years ago he would've been sad to see this, but he was happy for them, now. Happy to let go of the ghosts of clinging to someone who had always meant to be his friend. 

(And for the record, his and Tracy's code word for _I want to leave for sex_ was Loverboy, said in a laughing, and semi-sarcastic tone. As in _are you ready, loverboy?_ It usually took them a few minutes to stop laughing before they could even start kissing. There was a story behind it, but he'd kept that to himself for once.

When it came to Tracy, some things were too precious to even tell his friends, who knew every hook up and embarrassing moment since his twenties, well into middle age. Maybe he'd tell them someday, but for now it was all his.)

2.

Right after Christmas was the wonder of 90% off sales. He would get up before work, when dawn was barely out and check every store for something to make his family smile. Not all would end up for Christmas, because he couldn't wait that long to surprise his family with them.

Some of them lasted well into January. He was headed out to a Bath and Bodyworks sale, when he veered into Bed Bath and Beyond, that smelled incredible. (He always got those two stores mixed up, somehow.)

Ted surveyed the nearest stand, filled with fragile candles. Ever so often he would remove a top and take a contemplative whiff of each one. Some smelled like fall, like the first time he'd raked up leaves with his children, just as he'd imagined so many times. Tracy had smiled from the doorway, with promises of drinks and treats when they all came in.

And so many other candles brought him back to other memories: Pumpkin Pancake smelled exactly like the Mother's Day he and his kids had gotten up early to make Tracy breakfast in bed. Penny had gotten pancake mix in her hair. He smiled, even at the memory of how they'd had to wash her hair twice just to get it out.

He couldn't just get the love of his life, the woman of his dreams, the mother of his children just a Yankee candle. Even if it did smell incredible. 

But maybe, he could get her a thousand Yankee candles, all spelling out what she just meant to him. He'd light the path all the way to their bed, which would be covered with rose petals. 

Except, it'd probably be a fire hazard. Tracy was a loving and always patient. But burning down the house would be pushing it.

Maybe he could get those flameless candles. Of course, they were less romantic, but they were also less likely to end up with the fire department called.

Ted filed it away for later, but still picked up one called 'Christmas Cookie,' just for the memory of flour on her apron, and a kiss that tasted so sweet between icing the cookies for the after-school event.

3.

By March, Ted was combing secondhand stores all over New York for the exact compilation of Neruda to read to her. He'd checked all over eBay already, and scored a copy of a signed copy of _Love in the Time of Cholera_.

But, inevitably he'd end up in a big retail store, back in the toy aisle. A remote control truck had been placed on the floor.

But, the 80s were back with a vengeance. Except the hair, which was for the best, honestly. Star Wars was in again, and the toys were _Awesome_. He had so many movies to look forward to. His friends and him had so many debates about the new canon, and even more, he got to feel this moment with his favorite people in the world.

He'd been dreaming about this day. He held up the light saber. It made sounds, and even lit up. He didn't have to add the _Nrrreugh,pssshaaa!_ effects, but he did anyways as he swung the saber around.

He'd put Penny's hair up just like Leia or Padme or Rey, whichever she preferred, and they'd all three have jedi battles. He'd been watching how-to Youtube videos by cosplayers so he could just get it right. 

Screw that eight years or older tag. His children were already reading at a fourth grade level. He read to them every night. Though Tracy said that A Thousand Years Of Sorrow and Love in the Time of Cholera were a bit much for their age group. So, instead he'd started reading some of the EU--The Star Wars series, not the European Union. 

Ted had dreams of children who could recite Wordsworth in perfect symmetry. The reality was more like silly putty and fart jokes. 

And Ted was all right with that, because Tracy had taught him the reality of love, instead of chasing after ghosts. His children had humbled him to the incredible feeling of being a dad. Just what he'd always wanted, even if he'd taken some detours along the way.

And fart jokes were still funny, and always would be.

4.

At the back of his house, there was a whole back closet with a padlock. Within it were several bins of Christmas decorations, and a growing number of toys. He took notes on what his kids watched, what ads made their eyes grow wide. 

(Every time Lily and Marshall would _seethe_ a little at how surely he was stealing their crown. As far as Ted was concerned, he deserved it.

He knew another battle was coming, but he would give them the fight of their lives for the status of the best couple around.)

5.

While everyone else was sweltering in the heat, Ted was weighing the romantic options versus the sexy ones. He settled for both. When the kids were around, Tracy could have a nice Bath and Bodyworks body spray set. Then he'd whisper in her ear and tell her _wait for the sequel when they're in bed._

He stood outside a sexy store for a solid five minutes before he decided that Santa Baby needed to upgrade to online, because there was no way he was going in there.

Being a dad meant that he could see all the ways it could go wrong. Except his had the sheen of a post Barney had once shown him on reddit, a story about how the children had found their parents _toys_ and had a light-saber battle with them.

Barney had thought it hilarious; Ted had found it hauntingly possible, and wanted to make sure he didn't one day have to write on reddit _TIFU by leaving something sexy out where my kids could find them. ___

__6._ _

__The giddiness started as soon as fall came. While everyone else was anticipating Pumpkin Spice and Halloween (he'd yet to retire his Hanging Chad costume), Christmas carols were at the back of Ted's mind._ _

__When the first snows came,( midway through October, because New York always left unexpected presents on his doorstep. Most of them beginning with 'fuck you' yelled out by a taxi driver as he tossed something out the window.) He had already hauled the lights out and untangled them. He'd bought popcorn balls from the Popcorn factory, and roasted chestnuts by the hearth for hours as he turned the untangling into something domestic, something beautiful. He drank eggnog and spiced cider before even Thanksgiving._ _

__Thankfully, Capitalism had his back for once and was catching up on the rule of _Christmas or Not Christmas._ The first hints of shiny tinsel were out in some stores before summer even ended. By mid-October, the ghosts and ghouls had given way to the ghosts of Christmas past and Christmas future._ _

__7._ _

__By November, Thanksgiving decorations were kicked in favor of Christmas decorations. The minute he'd seen that Darth Vader with a Santa hat, he'd had to have it. Vader won over Marshall's cryptid themed Christmas every time. (Lily had let it slip, because she could never keep a secret. Except that one time.) The tree would come a bit later: too early and it'd be withered before Christmas even came._ _

__Ted hung the Mistletoe high in the doorway, beneath the white lights._ _

__Tracy peeked out to see his handiwork. "You know, if you put it there--we'll be watching your friends kiss all night. They'll just get right in line to kiss each other over and over. They won't even come in for the party. Then it'd turn into you and Barney accidentally getting stuck under the mistletoe, because of a high-five gone wrong."_ _

__Ted chuckled at the mental image of that._ _

__"You're implying that they'd even get a turn. I'd stand out here all night just to be able to spend a moment with you."_ _

__"Until our lips got numb from the cold," she said._ _

__"And other things," Ted said, as he stared intensely down at her lips, "Because I'd keep you warm."_ _

__"You always do," she said in a soft, breathless way._ _

__He was the one who leaned in first. She reached up to stroke his cheek as he kissed her. The cold seemed so far away as he pulled her closer like it was their first kiss all over again._ _

__The door opened, and there was a decidedly unromantic gagging noise._ _

__"Mom! Dad! You're _so_ embarrassing!"_ _

__They broke apart, reluctantly. It certainly wasn't the worst amorous state that their kids had interrupted._ _

__Ted smiled. "I, for one, take that as a badge of honor."_ _

__"We've won. We're the embarrassingly in love couple we all hated as kids and thought had to be mythical when we grew up."_ _

__"Hashtag relationship goals," Ted said._ _

__He held up his hand, and she gave him a high five. (When he first introduced her to the group, Barney said she fit the Bro Code perfectly, and was the long lost sixth ranger they were always looking for.)_ _

__And Tracy laughed, until they were both laughing. Slightly numb from the cold, and the shared kisses. He came in for one more under the mistletoe. Because when it came to her, one was never enough._ _

__8._ _

__He and Tracy had decorated together most of the day and stolen kisses between hanging tinsel as their kids made gagging noises, and protested so loudly. And it'd worked. Their Christmas was just awesome enough that he could see the critical, even jealous glance in Lily's eye._ _

__Because they were deadlocked into an eternal battle of who loved their spouses more. And as Lily famously said _that's love, bitch._ Ted knew they would be, until they were all playing bridge on the front porch together, until they said that last goodbye. This was a game where ties wouldn't be accepted, and silver didn't matter. Ted went for it like a gold medal was involved, and it was his last shot._ _

__And despite it all, this was a friendly rivalry, filled with the gratitude that it was the love of his life and not another _maybe_ who ended up breaking his heart._ _

__"Tinsel Ted sure decked the halls, if you know what I mean," Barney said._ _

__Lily lifted an eyebrow. "For once, I don't think I do. Or even want to."_ _

__Robin and Barney held on to an impossible youth, both in their wildly improbable series of Vegas (re)marriages, and globetrotting adventures. It seemed every day Ted would find a viral video or post, for Barney's blog had expanded to twitter, Instagram and Youtube fame. They Skyped from Hawaii, where Barney had managed to accessorize his ever-present suit with a Hawaiian lei. (Check it out, Ted. While you were being lame, I was getting _lei'd_.) Robin was hot on the case of Surfboard Santa. She and Barney would do a one-two punch, of witty social media commentary and solid reporting by Robin. She was out there winning prestigious prizes while he was getting likes._ _

__Penny and Luke were enthralled with their Cool Uncle and Aunt. Barney and Robin always had gifts and stories that they would tell at school. Almost enough to counteract their devoted, yet dorky dad who still made them healthy lunches and insisted on hugging them every time he met them at the bus._ _

__They spoiled like only a DINK pair could. Barney was currently thinking of ways to spice up and find a name which didn't sound so, well, _dinky_. Currently he was thinking of calling it AWESOME but he hadn't figured out what each letter stood for yet._ _

__Hugs were shared, even by Robin who actually had a soft spot for her almost-nieces and nephews. Once they'd gone past the baby stage and she was sure that they no longer had a self-destruct button on her their--as she'd said each time when offered to hold them--Robin had mellowed out around children._ _

__Well, their children. Which included Marshall and Lily's. Tracy often laughed and said the way Ted talked about Marshall and Lily's kids made it sound like he really had married them both, and Tracy had married his entire friend's group along the way._ _

__It was just another old joke between them._ _

__It didn't hurt anymore when he looked at Robin, so happy by Barney's side. If anything, he was glad as he came in for a hug, for old time's sake, that the past hadn't ruined their friendship. Though Robin, Barney and Lily and Marshall never let him forget his clingy, dare he say even a little _sad_ past. Just as friends should. _ _

__As Barney always put it, before their trip to the bar: _It's not just Chestnuts that are going to be roasting by the bar, Ted Roast suit up!__ _

__A phone call cut through all that merriment._ _

__"Just a second, I have to take this," Robin said._ _

__Barney nodded knowingly. "Last time I heard that, I was tied to the bed."_ _

___"Little ears,"_ Ted said. _ _

__But, the kids were far too distracted by the bright flashing lights on the screen. . His children and Marshall and Lily's children were playing a heated game of Mario Party number whatever in the middle of the room. The occasional noises reminded him of how he and Marshall had rediscovered Super Mario Kart for a few days, when Marshall was mired in grief._ _

__"I've got to head out, I've got an assignment."_ _

__"You're going too?" Ted asked._ _

__"I'm like her emotional support pet. Call it her her emotional _awesome_ husband. Same thing, except I don't fit in purses," Barney said._ _

__And he got a laugh out of that, or two, just as planned. One last hug and they were out of there, a dramatic exit full of promises that they'd definitely see them by New Years._ _

__Ted settled in the living room with a glass of eggnog which was definitely more alcoholic after Barney had visited. Tracy had put the kids to bed--Marshall and Lily's too, for there was always a sleepover in the works for them. At this rate, Lily was keeping count of who got them one._ _

__Tracy had tinsel in her hair, that almost matched the slight frost of gray there. Every time he looked at her Ted was amazed that somehow this wildly improbable series of events ended up with him being married to the most incredible, beautiful woman in the entire world._ _

__His wife. Those words were so beautiful, they felt as if they could be from a poem by Neruda. He wanted to quote them, and say them over and over like a mantra._ _

___My wife_. The two most incredible words in the human language, especially when applied to him._ _

__She smiled, and brushed her chestnut colored curls back. She wore a little sheath dress, that sparkled to match the tinsel. It reminded him of a girl long ago, who had sung at a wedding and made him think again about abandoning his life._ _

__"Do you want some more eggnog, Mr. Mosby?"_ _

__He lifted his dark eyebrows. "More eggnog, Mrs. Mosby? It's almost as if you want to meet Drunk Ted."_ _

__"Nowadays, Drunk Ted is very different from all the past Drunk Teds I keep hearing about. Like the time you yelled 'I love everyone in this bar' after an impromptu Karaoke session."_ _

__"It's for the best; I hear that guy was a total douche," Ted said wryly._ _

__Now, he was more likely to fall asleep after a few drinks, curled up on the couch with the love of his life. Instead of waking up cold, clinging to another possibility who ghosted him for being a 'stage 5 clingmaster' as Barney would've put it._ _

__Though Drunk Ted of recent would on occasion, wax poetic about how much he loved his wife and family. Which wasn't that much different from sober Ted, to be honest._ _

__Years ago, he'd sat in a bar and thought _you're all alone._ If he could time travel, he would do two things:_ _

__Take back the days until he met the love of his life, and tell the person he was back then to let go of the ghosts, and let Robin be happy with Barney. Because he wasn't alone, and never would be. Life was full of moving and changing, but their friendship had survived, and grown stronger. Even if it took almost 60 minutes to reach Marshall and Lily, even if Barney and Robin were always on a flight to somewhere else._ _

__Even if MacLarens was more memory and myth than daily reality now._ _

__And secondly, he'd give past Ted a hug and tell him to just hold on a little longer, because it got so much better. So amazingly better that Ted could barely believe how amazingly awesome his life was._ _

__And maybe he wouldn't even appreciate it as much if he hadn't been in a spiral of falling in love with the same ex year in and year out, chasing dreams and girls who were ephemeral, whose names he forgot._ _

__But he was glad for every single broken heart and bad decision which led him to Tracy Mosby, née McConnell, the love of his life._ _

__9._ _

__They were all bundled tight. His little girl looked so much like her mother, with her long curly hair and her red and white striped hat and coat. Luke's was black, because he wanted to look more like Vader._ _

__Every day Ted was struck by new aspects of fatherhood. It'd brought tears to his eyes so many times, just the thought how incredible and sad it was that they were growing. How he wanted to meet the people they would become, and how he already missed the small moments._ _

__(And his friends made fun of him endlessly for this.)_ _

__Snow clung to the branches of each tree. Ted looked over them, judging which would be the perfect tree._ _

__Luke and Penny laughed, and took turns hopping, like birds. They fell into the deep snows, and made shapes that looked more like snow blobs than angels._ _

__"Face it, Ted. You're being a perfectionist again. There was a perfectly good tree back there," Tracy said._ _

__There was this slight lilt in her voice, like he was going to get dubbed _Lady Tedwina Slowsby_ pretty soon. Tracy always went full Mary Poppins when she got irritated with him. It was just another of the things he loved about her. So much that fights of theirs broke up with him going _dammit, stop being so cute, I can't be mad at you like this.__ _

__(And it was pretty awesome, he had to admit, how many of their fights ended in laughter. Well, that and make up sex.)_ _

__"I'd say holding off for perfect worked pretty well for me. I met you, after all," Ted said_ _

__"Smooth," she said._ _

__"I have my moments."_ _

__"What about this one?" Tracy said._ _

__Ted grimaced, even as he knew he really was being kind of a Grinch. (And actually a Grinch this time.)_ _

__"Look at the other side. Some of the branches have already begun to die."_ _

__"Then it's obviously been too long since you watched the Charlie Brown Christmas special. It'll cheer right up when we cover it with so much tinsel you can't even see that side._ _

__Ted lifted his eyebrows. "Death will cheer it up? That's pretty metal," Ted said._ _

__"It's already going that way, anyways. It'll look beautiful. You really have forgotten that Christmas special, haven't you?"_ _

__Luke stood up on his tiptoes, a feat in those snow boots. "Pleaaase, Dad?"_ _

__Penny tugged on his sleeve. "Dad, I can't feel my feet."_ _

__He smiled, then. The odds were stacked against him. The most beautiful woman in the world and the coolest kids around. (Marshall said otherwise. Marshall was wrong.) "Oh, all right. We'll take this one. And we'll make it look fit for a king."_ _

__"Yay!"_ _

__They hopped off in some kids' contest that only they understood. He called the helper, and before he knew it, they were dragging a slightly bedraggled and snow-covered tree to the car._ _

__Ted looked back in that moment to see the beautiful woman he'd married, with snowflakes caught in her hair. He brushed her hair back, caught in that moment. Just like the time he'd suddenly said _I love you_ on a rainy day. Her white hat was tugged down low around her ears._ _

__"Just imagine what we could do with a tree with not a lot of brush. Send the kids over to Marshall and Lily's, start on the wrapping and some unwrapping as well..." She gave him a suggestive smile._ _

__All Barney's talks about marriage making the flame of passion die was about as real as those 'bro history lessons.'_ _

__Of course, Barney never would use those words. And he'd be the first one to say that marriage was awesome, when it happened to be to the right person. Time could change a person, though Barney liked to say it was maturing, like a fine wine._ _

__"You have some good ideas, Mrs. Mosby," Ted said softly._ _

__She laughed. "We have to get the tree up first. An IOU?"_ _

__"I can't wait."_ _

__They left, hand in hand, flirting like newly weds and stealing kisses all the way back. With her near, he never even felt the cold any longer._ _

__10._ _

__Ted took a breather after he finally got the tree dragged into the living room, and set up close enough to the hearth to make the decorations sparkle, but not enough to make the house sparkle and light up in an inconvenient holiday fire._ _

__He lugged the green storage tub of Christmas things (mostly inherited) down from the attic. He peeled off the top and tossed it aside like some grandiose gesture._ _

__"Kids, come on. It's time to trim the tree!" Tracy cupped her hands to get them back out from the kitchen, where they'd surely be sneaking sweets out from the fridge meant for bake sales or other school Christmas parties._ _

__"Wow, it really does look bad in this light," Ted said._ _

__"It'll look great once we slap some sparkles on it," Tracy said._ _

__His kids dug into that box of old storage tub with such wonder and enthusiasm. Soon, this would be gone. They would huff and roll their eyes as their teenage years came. Just as Ted had, when he'd decided he was too cool for his parents._ _

__He lifted up the star onto the top, and helped Tracy lay down some tinsel. Luke and Penny put shining red and green balls on the boughs they could reach._ _

__"Kids, did I ever tell you the story of how your Aunt Lily stole Christmas?" Ted smiled, at the memory._ _

__"I better go get some snacks and a drink for them; this is going to take a while," Tracy said._ _

__She went to the kitchen, and Ted started into that one time when Lily had been kinda of, a well, _Grinch._ Tracy had already heard this one before, but then she had heard most of the stories by now. And despite her gentle teasing, he knew she'd loved every single one. _ _

__11._ _

__He came from the cold with his briefcase in one hand, and a smile that came to his lips the minute he saw the beautiful scene. It was Christmas Eve, and the love of his life, and the two greatest kids in the entire world were baking. The kitchen smelled wonderful of vanilla and gingerbread. His life was amazing in every since of the word. (True, he was biased. He still was sure that he'd won this contest, and Marshall and Lily would just have to settle for the bronze when it came to best kids around.)_ _

__She had a dusting of flour on her nose. He brushed it away and caught her eyes and got lost in their depths all over again, like he was that refugee from Robin's wedding who had stumbled into the most amazing thing with the singer waiting underneath a yellow umbrella._ _

__"We're making cookies for Santa," Tracy said._ _

__Penny and Luke were so close to losing this magic of Christmas. Each moment was precious as they grew and changed. And while he loved so much what they were becoming, he would miss little rituals like Santa, or Penny begging to be hugged and picked up._ _

__One day they'd say things like _I don't live in Ohio, I live in the moment_ or make protests about public radio outside the college food hall._ _

__But for now, they were still so full of wonder and still believe in Santa for another year._ _

__He winked, pilfered one cookie, and took a bite. The incredible flood of chocolate in his mouth came with the price of sharp heat. "Ow! _Fudge!_ " _ _

__Ted had gotten all too used to making certain exchanges in his vocabulary. Like 'sandwich' or _stuff_._ _

__"Dad, that's a cookie, not fudge," Penny said._ _

__"Oh, Ted, don't burn your tongue! Those just came off the rack."_ _

__"Care to kiss it better?"_ _

__She chuckled, and leaned in to kiss. "You'll get more of that later."_ _

__"Can't wait. Early Christmas gift?"_ _

__"Oh yeah."_ _

__Except, his kids' definitely caught that. "We're opening gifts early?" Penny said hopefully._ _

__Ted ruffled her hair, which was already starting to look like Tracy's. "More like the gift of spending Christmas eve with your family," Ted said._ _

__"Awww, daaaad."_ _

__"Okay, maybe _one _present."___ _

____They let out a cheer._ _ _ _

____In the living room, _It's A Wonderful Life_ was background music, melding with some Christmas carols by Bing Crosby that Tracy had put on._ _ _ _

____"Dad? I hope Santa isn't lactose intolerant," Penny said._ _ _ _

____"Because the ending of this sentence ends with Dairy?" Luke said hopefully._ _ _ _

____"Well--yeah. And also because what if Santa doesn't want our cookies?"_ _ _ _

____"Don't worry, sweetie. He'll love it. Where'd you even hear that?"_ _ _ _

____"My friend, Jenny at school is lactose intolerant."_ _ _ _

____"Well, Santa loves milk. He'll be fine."_ _ _ _

____"Okay," Penny said._ _ _ _

____By the time they'd gotten the cookies on the cooling rack (where many would still be stolen away before the night was over, some even by him), the television had shifted to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. He'd produced a few shiny packages containing books._ _ _ _

____He'd found a bunch of practically Mint EU Star Wars books to read with his kids. Maybe it was just a sign that they were his kids through and through that their faces were so filled with joy at all the adventures they'd go on together with each book._ _ _ _

____He pulled the blanket close about them. Luke on Tracy's lap, Penny curled up behind him. The Christmas carols would stay in his mind over and over, long after the night ended._ _ _ _

____12._ _ _ _

____Ted awoke when the sky was still dark. He'd set the alarm before the kids even snuck in, eager to open their presents._ _ _ _

____Luke threw open the door. "It's Christmas, Dad!"_ _ _ _

____Penny tugged at the thick, plaid blanket on Ted and Tracy's queen sized bed. "Get up, dad! Mom, it's Christmas!"_ _ _ _

____"Meet you downstairs in a few."_ _ _ _

____He leaned in to kiss her head. "You can sleep in, if you want."_ _ _ _

____"And miss this moment? Never. I could use some coffee, though."_ _ _ _

____"I will make you the finest coffee in all the land, my love," Ted said._ _ _ _

____He pulled on his red and black flannel robe, and followed his kids down the stairs. This was the moment that he had been preparing the entire year for. The windows were frosted over, and outside it was a snowball winter wonderland. It'd be a little less beautiful when he had to shovel it later on, when the kids were ready for a nap after so much excitement. But, for now it was the White Christmas he had been dreaming about since January first._ _ _ _

____And in truth, many years before that. When it wasn't Tracy, but dreams of a girl who didn't love him back, because she'd fallen for one of his best friends', and the many girls in-between who never stayed, never fit._ _ _ _

____It wasn't just Santa that he'd left cookies for. He brewed the coffee in the maker, and stirred together the coffee maker flavors. From the kitchen he could see their fits of joy. God, the way kids felt each emotion without abandon. It was the stuff that poetry was made of._ _ _ _

____Shiny paper was pulled apart. Luke held up that light saber with a battle cry. Of course, Penny had one of her own._ _ _ _

____Penny held up her light saber. "Luke, I am your faaather!"_ _ _ _

____Luke let out a particularly dramatic _"Noooooooo!"__ _ _ _

____"Careful, careful, remember the Jedi code!" he called from the kitchen._ _ _ _

____He brought out the cookies, because Christmas meant cake and cookies for breakfast if they wanted._ _ _ _

____He caught Luke before he fell, and they were all laughing as Tracy came down the stairs._ _ _ _

____"You got those gifts for the _kids_ , huh?" She smiled knowingly._ _ _ _

____"I always make sure I get extra controllers and light sabers," Ted said._ _ _ _

____Because frankly, having kids was _awesome_. Especially kids as awesome as his._ _ _ _

____"You got one for me, too, right?"_ _ _ _

____"Oh, definitely," Ted said._ _ _ _

____"Good, because as soon as I get some coffee in me, I'm going to _kick your butt _at video games, Ted Mosby."___ _ _ _

______"I accept that challenge, Tracy Mosby," he said._ _ _ _ _ _

______13._ _ _ _ _ _

______Barney and Robin's flight was delayed. Barney was livetweeting the whole thing from a layover in Denver, which he somehow managed to turn into an 'awesome adventure' involving two fake cows and a pineapple._ _ _ _ _ _

______They'd set up the episode of Star Wars, because Trilogy Time had slid into Christmas too the minute that Marshall had pulled out that old tradition of trying to set up the exact moment of the Death Star being destroyed at the precise moment the ball dropped._ _ _ _ _ _

______On the other screen, New Year's Rockin' Eve was setting up a countdown._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Are you ready, Mr. Mosby?" Tracy said breathless._ _ _ _ _ _

______"I've been ready for years, before I even ever met you," Ted said softly._ _ _ _ _ _

______With so many New Year's Eve parties spent slightly drunk with a pretty girl he knew a little, or spent alone and dreaming of someone who never quite fit him, no matter how many times he tried._ _ _ _ _ _

______Ted leaned in. Her lips parted, slightly. And he remembered the first time he'd heard her sing _La vie en rose_ , from a room away in the most miserable time of his life. He remembered how she'd looked when he'd proposed, how she'd been so excited he couldn't even get the words out before she yelled _yes_ over and over._ _ _ _ _ _

______And seconds after her lips met his, and the new year came in so wonderfully--almost all his favorite people around close, with promises of the rest to return soon. The death star exploded the minute the Rockin' New Year's Eve erupted in cheers._ _ _ _ _ _

______He started to plan the next year out. He'd have to top it, make it more awesome._ _ _ _ _ _

______But like Barney always said, nothing's ever legendary unless your friends are there to see it. And distance meant sometimes liking the tweet of a new year's kiss from his best friends via multiple sites, and feeling so damn proud that they'd made it--they'd all made it and stumbled towards happiness. No matter how much hardship in the in-between._ _ _ _ _ _

______His thoughts broke off as the door opened wide, a grand entrance, always because Barney would never settle for anything less._ _ _ _ _ _

______"Psych! We made it! The party's here! In the wise words of Kesha the party don't start until I walk in!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______Tracy burst into a big smile. "You made it!"_ _ _ _ _ _

______They all came in for a hug. Because they never let the distance keep them afar. As the new year came in, Barney regaled them with his amazing stories, as Robin watched with a little smile._ _ _ _ _ _

______Christmas was over for now, and the new year was ushered in the best way possible: surrounded by everyone he loved._ _ _ _ _ _

______But soon enough he'd be looking in stores and planning out until winter and the next Christmas. All that magic and joy would again be spread out in anticipation throughout the entire year. Opening presents under the tree, seeing his friends again, and seeing those smiles over and over until the coldest time of the year was made warm again._ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
